The Atlanta Gladiators are gaining a reputation as a team that does not do well with late-game leads. For the second game in a row, the Glads lost a late lead and fell in overtime. Wednesday night’s loss came at the hands of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, who are now one point ahead of The Gladiators in the South for the 4th and final playoff position.
Gladiator goalie David Tendeck had a Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde performance. Tendeck was the reason the Gladiators kept it close in the 1st period giving up only one goal while being peppered with 18 shots. Tendeck then ended up giving up the final three goals of the game over 14 shots, including the game-winner in overtime. Tendeck was placed on reserves Thursday as Atlanta activated Joe Murdaca. Hopefully, this comes as a wake-up call for Tendeck, and he’s able to be ready to go for a possible playoff run. The Gladiators are missing Tyler Parks in between the pipes since his callup to Tuscon. Parks boasts a .926 save percentage, which is good for 3rd in the ECHL.
Atlanta looked much better in the 2nd period, outshooting the Rabbits 19-6. The Glads also scored two goals this period, both from Cody Sylvester. Sylvester continues to be red hot with three goals in the last three games. The 3rd period got off to a good start with another Gladiator goal, but that would be the last one of the game. The overtime started with three-on-three hockey, but that came to an end when Tim Davison committed a tripping penalty, leading to a Greenville power play. Even while down a man, Atlanta continued to be aggressive on the offensive end. I’m no Scotty Bowman, but I questioned Atlanta coach Jeff Pyle’s decision to try and continue the attack in overtime while down a man. Greenville scored on an odd-man rush after Atlanta turned the puck over in the Greenville end, which ended up leading to the game-winner.
The road for the Gladiators does not get any easier. They are currently 3-3-3-1 in their last ten, with four tough games coming up. The Gladiators take on the Jacksonville Icemen tomorrow night in Jacksonville. Jacksonville is 2-1 against Atlanta so far this year, and they are currently 3rd in points in the South but have the most wins with 28. After the Icemen, the Glads welcome the Cincinnati Cyclones to town for back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday. The Cyclones are also fighting for playoff position as they currently sit in 4th place in the Western Conference’s South division. This will be the only regular-season matchup between the two teams. Atlanta will have to play above .500 hockey if they want to get into the playoffs. With only 28 games left to play, each point becomes that much more important, especially against divisional foes. With Tendeck out, it will be interesting to see who the Glads put in the net Friday night. Check back in Friday night with me on Twitter as ill be giving live analysis and thoughts on the Gladiator’s performance after the game. Let’s Go Glads!
